Signal



Patented Feb. 6, 1923'.

UNITED STATES 1,444,742 PATsNT OFFICE.

FRANK GUENTHER, OF SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOROF ONE-KALE TC WILLIAM MEINERSMANN, OF ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY.

SIGNAL.

Application mea January. 1s, 1921. Serial No. 438,162.

To all whom z't may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK GUENTHER,

a citizen of Germany, and resident of San Mateo, in the county of San Mateo and State of California, have invented a new and Improved Signal, of which the follow ing is a full, clear, and exact description.

In connection with automotive vehicles, accidents have oftenoccurred due to the fact that the doors were not properly f-astened upon the driver starting, subsequent to which they opened, which frequently results in the damage of property due to the fact that the doors extend beyond the plane of the running board.

\Vith this in View, I have devised a si 'nal, which will be inoperative upon the oors of the vehicle being opened, avhile the same is not in motion, but which will instantly give the operator warning upon any of the doors opening while the vehicle is running.

A further object of my .invention is the provision of a signal which will not alone indicate that a door is open, but which will also show upon which side of the vehicle the open door is located.

Reference is had to the attached sheet of drawings, as illustratingone practical embodimentof my invention, and in which drawings,

Figure 1 is a plan View of certain parts of an automotive vehicle, showing my improved signal system applied thereto when the same is in operation. V

Figure 2 is a similar view showing the position of the parts with the doors open, but the vehicle not in motion, and

Figure 3 illustrates a detail of construction employed in connection with the op eration of my signal.

In these viewsthe reference numeral 5 indicates the dashboard or other convenien't part of the vehicle, to which is applied visible and acoustical Signaling means 6 and 7 respectively, which former may take the form of a light, the latter including a buzzer or other suitable annunciator.

A contact collar 8 suitably encircles the gear shift lever 9 at a point above the floor,

board 10, from which it is spaced by any suitable means, such as supporting legs 11, insulation 12 being interposed between the legs lland ring 8 to prevent any grounding of the circuit.

Any suitable form of switch conveniently including a resilient bowed piece of material 13 mounting contact points 14 and normally holding the same in engagement with' one another, is associated with each of the door jambs the strip 13 being capable of being moved to hold the contacts -14 spaced, by means of the latch 15 when the door 16 is in closed position. One of the contact points 14 of the switch is grounded, as has been shown, 'the second contact point being connected in series with one of the lamps 6 and the annunciator 7, the lead. thence extending to the contact collar 8, at which point it terminates.

The door arranged upon the opposite side of the vehicle is similarly equipped, and is in series with the opposite lamp 6, the com mon annunciator 7 and the common lead extending thence to the contact collar 8. Encircling the gear shift lever 9 and insulated therefrom, as has been indicated by the reference numeral 17 is a contact ring 18, provided with resilient Contacting fingers 19 adapted, when the lever has been actuated, to place the transmission in gear, i. e., when the collar 8 occupies a position other than concentric with respect to the ring 18.

A suitable source of energy, such as the ordinary, starting, lighting and ignition battery 20 has one of its leads groundedin the usual manner, its opposite lead 21 extending to and being in contact with the ring 18.

It will now be appreciated, assuming that the Vehicle is not running, in other words, that the gear shift lever is in its neutral position as has been indicated in Figure 2, that the circuit is drawn between the contact fingers 19 and the ring 8, so that the Switches associated with eachof the doors may be opened or closed without in the slightest efi'ecting the circuit. This con struction will permit a free opening and closing of the doors for the alighting and 100 entering of passengers within the vehicle without operating the audible and visible signals. v

Further, upon the lever 9 being moved to a position in which the gears are in mesh, 105 in other words, when the car is running, upon any of the doors 16 being opened, as has been'indicated in Figure 1, the circuit will be completed through the annunciator and through that light in circuit with the 110 cuits might be employed in conjunction with a corresponding number of signals to indicate the position of any movable part of the car, also numerous modifications of structure might be resorted to without departing from the scope of my claim, which reads as follows:

I claim:

A signal, including in combination with the doors and gear shift lever of an automotive vehicle, Switches associated with said doors, means 'cooperating with said doors and Switches to hold the latter in open position when said doors 'are closed, a ring arranged around said'gear shift lever and conce'ntric with respect thereto when the same is in neutral position, contact fing'ers secured to said gear shift, levers, signals, a source of energy connecte to said contact fingers, said Switches, signals and ring co-operating to provide a closed circuit when one of said doors is opened, and the gear shift lever moved to a position other than its neutral point.

FRANK GUENTHER. 

